Chapter 114: Building the Foundation with a Master

"I am Li Fan. May I ask your name, fellow Daoist?" Li Fan asked, cupping his hands.The young man's spirits immediately lifted upon hearing this: "What a coincidence, we share a surname! My name is Li Chenfeng."

"By the way," Li Chenfeng whispered, "when you go in, haggle for the price. 1800 contribution points should be enough."

"Thank you, Brother Li! However, I haven't found a suitable rare heaven-and-earth treasure yet.""I've only come here this time to witness the Master of Foundation Establishment's demeanor first, then I'll make my plans," Li Fan explained.

"Oh, that's fine too. Many people like you come here every year. The Master won't stop you if you're just observing from the side," Li Chenfeng said, not bothered by it.

"You just need to remain quiet and not disturb anyone," he instructed.

Li Fan nodded and followed the path into the courtyard.

From a distance, a voice could be heard."Calm your mind, focus your spirit, and sense carefully...""Do you know why I chose this secluded place for the academy? It's precisely because within a radius of several thousand li from here, there's only seawater.""The laws of the Great Dao are relatively pure here. If you were to attempt your breakthrough on Myriad Immortals Island, you would inevitably encounter various interferences, thus affecting the speed of your Foundation Establishment."

As Li Fan approached, he saw five Qi Refining cultivators sitting cross-legged in the open area of the courtyard.Mysterious aura converged around them, as if they were on the verge of breaking through and successfully establishing their foundation at any moment.

Li Fan's heart stirred, and the Formless Killing Intent immediately began to lock on.One, two, three...By the fourth one, Li Fan already felt a bit strained.

"Including Zhang Haobo, is the current limit five people?" Li Fan had made a calculation in his mind.

"Under my guidance, two hundred and sixty-five cultivators have successfully established their foundations.""Among them, the vast majority spent less time than expected. You all will surely..."

The Foundation Establishment Master, who was solemnly imparting his experience, suddenly paused.He looked up at the sky with some confusion, gazing for a long time, yet detecting nothing.He then mumbled a few words and continued, "You will certainly be able to greatly reduce the time required for Foundation Establishment!"

"This Foundation Establishment Master is truly not simple. He could faintly sense my Formless Killing Intent?" Li Fan's heart tightened."If his cultivation were a bit higher, he might actually be able to trace it back to me.""One must not underestimate anyone in this world. It seems I'll need to be more careful when using the Formless Killing Intent in the future."

Just as Li Fan was privately feeling a chill, one person in the field suddenly seemed to have an epiphany following the Foundation Establishment Master's words.The aura around him instantly surged from the Qi Refining stage to the Foundation Establishment stage.After his aura stabilized, the person opened his eyes, his face filled with joy.He bowed to the Foundation Establishment Master: "Thank you for your guidance, Master. This Xiao is eternally grateful!"The Foundation Establishment Master also smiled contentedly, stroking his beard, and patted him on the shoulder.Afterward, the person named Xiao flew away.

The remaining few in the courtyard all looked reinvigorated, their confidence renewed.

"The first Foundation Establisher has appeared, a full ten days earlier than expected. Who will be next?"The Foundation Establishment Master reminded them at the opportune moment.

The person who was observing this scene, Li Fan, felt a sense of both amusement and exasperation.Because...The cultivator named Xiao, who had just "broken through," was precisely one of the four individuals targeted by the Formless Killing Intent.Although on the surface it appeared he had indeed broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage,Under the gaze of Heaven's Sight and Earth's Hearing, Li Fan saw everything clearly.There were no traces of condensed laws on that person's body at all.His aura had merely expanded to the Foundation Establishment stage, but his actual strength remained in the Qi Refining stage.It was clearly nothing more than a trick, like a Charm of Veneration.Furthermore, this person didn't actually leave. He simply circled around and then secretly returned.His clothes and appearance changed in an instant, and he transformed into a completely different person.This...

So, the so-called Foundation Establishment Master was actually a swindler?Li Fan glanced again at the Foundation Establishment Master, who had the appearance of a youthful elder with white hair and an air of an immortal.He couldn't help but sigh; truly, the world produced all kinds of extraordinary talents.

However, just then, not long after the person named Xiao's "breakthrough,"Seemingly encouraged by it, another cultivator also showed faint signs of a breakthrough.

Li Fan's heart stirred.Because this time, the breakthrough was genuine.From the perspective of Heaven and Earth, Li Fan saw a sorrowful sea lotus faintly condensing in the cultivator's dantian.

Li Fan immediately stopped diverting his attention and focused on sensing the various changes occurring in the cultivator.After the sea lotus fully formed, the cultivator's aura suddenly erupted.This time, it was a genuine Foundation Establishment cultivator.The person opened his eyes, his face beaming with joy."Master, thank you!" The words were concise, but his gratitude was evident."Go now, and don't disturb their next breakthroughs."The person nodded and left, his face filled with excitement.

"Perhaps he's not entirely a swindler," Li Fan mused, having a realization.

He also pretended to take his leave, but in reality, he secretly lay in wait around the island, observing the situation of the remaining three.

Over the next few days, two more successfully broke through.The last one, however, only barely managed to break through after more than half a month.But he said nothing, just sighed and left in a hurry.

"Whether it's true or false doesn't matter. What matters is making the cultivators who break through believe it's real.""With sufficient confidence, accelerating comprehension and breaking through earlier is indeed not impossible.""Anyway, breakthroughs won't fail. Even if occasionally one or two don't experience the effect, seeing others succeed will make them think it's their own problem.""Even if, hypothetically, someone realized it was a scam, this Foundation Establishment Master has a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, making him an insurmountable opponent. Furthermore, they certainly wouldn't want to publicly announce they've been cheated. If they did, the over two hundred cultivators who previously established their foundations here would surely come looking for trouble.""They would simply have to swallow their grievances."

"Interesting, very interesting. This Foundation Establishment Master is truly a remarkable character."Having understood the intricacies of the situation, Li Fan couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

One person costs two thousand contribution points, which doesn't seem like much.But adding up two hundred and sixty-five cultivators amounts to a hefty profit of nearly five hundred thousand contribution points!

"I wonder when this Foundation Establishment Master started his business," Li Fan mused, a slightly dangerous thought rising in his mind.

For the next period, Li Fan continued to lie in wait around the island.He used the Formless Killing Intent to target cultivators who came seeking a breakthrough, simultaneously gaining insights as they underwent their Foundation Establishment.In less than three months, Li Fan observed the breakthrough processes of over forty Qi Refining cultivators.His understanding of establishing a Dao foundation deepened progressively.

And just then, a reminder came from Zhang Haobo's side via their mental connection.It seemed Zhang Haobo had reached the late stage of Qi Refining and achieved perfection.He was now searching for his own opportunity.